American rhumba is good if you social-dance a lot because a lot of songs fit the count. It's pretty easy and musically flexible so if you're doing social dance where they play a lot of Rhythm-type music it can be useful to have it in your toolbox. (Note that you can't really do American rhumba to songs that are TRUE Bolero/International Rhumba. American is much faster.)

Is there a good reason to take Rumba lessons, besides the fact it's considered a foundation for Latin dances? From a practical standpoint why not just take Salsa or ChaCha?

I don't see many people in ballrooms doing the Rumba. That could be because I don't recognize it.

Rhumba doesn't seem very useful as a social dance.

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Well, I am not a big fan of Salsa, so... Cha-cha is fine, but as a "slow" latin dance, I am quite fond of both Bolero and Rumba--American Style. Tried international Rumba a little, still not getting it (from my perspective, it's a hybrid between AS Rumba and Bolero and it starts on FOUR, which is totally counterintuitive) Rumba is also a very good trial bed for your Cuban motion. I do have favourite Rumba songs to dance to, a lot more than salsa songs (sure, cha-cha would blow both of those out of the water but still) so I do practice my Rumba myself...

...International Rumba starts on four? I've always danced it starting on two, and so does everyone else I've seen.

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Shows you how much I know about it--only took a series of group classes on it once, and for some bizarre reason in that class they started on 4... *sigh* 2 would have been easier to handle since it would be closer to mambo which also starts on the two.

The speeds ( SQ Rumba )can and do vary, IF one uses authentic Latin ( B/Room speeds are more rigid ) .

Cuban Rumba/ Bolero, to give it its correct name, has 3 basic partnership styles,from the slowest, Bolero, to the Danzon/ Square form, mid range speeds, and Guaracha, the very fast form .The speed ranges for each, which are danceable, may vary as much as 6/8bars PM in their written form on either side of the suggested tempos.

The word " Rumba" is a generic "Umbrella" term, that cover all the dances under the Son rhythms.

Because I really really love it as a dance. It is the most beautiful of the latin dances. (I dance international rumba).

Not bothered about its "usefulness", since that's not the reason why I learn to dance, although having said that, I have seen it danced very beautifully on social occasions, but maybe not often enough.

Because I really really love it as a dance. It is the most beautiful of the latin dances. (I dance international rumba).

Not bothered about its "usefulness", since that's not the reason why I learn to dance, although having said that, I have seen it danced very beautifully on social occasions, but maybe not often enough.

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I don't see the Rumba danced much at the ballrooms I hang out at. It seems to be another one of those niche dances.

I don't see the Rumba danced much at the ballrooms I hang out at. It seems to be another one of those niche dances.

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That's an interesting observation. Based on the other answers in this thread, as well as my own experience dancing ballroom socially in three different regions of the country, it would seem that your ballroom venues are not typical of what happens elsewhere. In my experience, rumba and cha cha are danced roughly the same amount (in ballroom venues; not salsa venues, of course, where they might play cha or merengue or bachata but probably not rumba). So if your current venues are the only places you want to dance, and you don't find rumba attractive in itself, there's no need to force yourself to learn it. If you think you might dance somewhere else sometime, and/or you'd like to be able to dance to slower songs, it could be a useful dance.

Every social I go to that is a ballroom social, as opposed to primarily salsa, or primarily WC Swing, features plenty of rumba. If it's a salsa or swing social, then they will throw in cha chas to mix it up, but no much rumba.

I don't see the Rumba danced much at the ballrooms I hang out at. It seems to be another one of those niche dances.

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Interesting, in my area the "niche" dances seem to be Paso, Jive, Bachata, Bolero and Hustle--ie if I go to a general ballroom social, those seem to be rare to non-existent, but plenty of rumbas, cha-chas, foxtrots, waltzes etc.